Browse the evidence

Systematic screening for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic individuals with obesity is clinically indicated to enable early detection and intervention, as obesity-related HFpEF presents with distinct pathophysiology and earlier onset.

If you have obesity, do not assume shortness of breath or fatigue is 'just part of being overweight.' Ask your doctor about screening for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), especially if you have other risk factors like high blood pressure or atrial fibrillation. Early detection through specific tests (like echocardiograms or biomarker adjustments) can allow for treatments that prevent heart failure from developing.

Caffeine supplementation, while beneficial for endurance performance, may impair shooting accuracy in biathletes and should be used with caution.

Be cautious with caffeine. While it helps you ski faster, it might make your shooting less accurate. Test it in training to see how it affects your specific shooting performance before using it in competition.

High protein intake (>236 g/day or >3.30 g/kg/day) combined with long-term supplementation (>1 year) significantly decreases glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and increases serum creatinine in CrossFit athletes compared to adequate intake without supplementation.

If you are a CrossFit athlete consuming more than 3.30 g of protein per kg of body weight daily, especially using supplements for over a year, monitor your kidney function (GFR and creatinine) regularly. High doses over long periods may reduce kidney filtration efficiency, even in healthy athletes.

Training to concentric muscle failure provides greater hypertrophy benefits than non-failure training only when using low-load resistance training; in high-load training, volume-equated failure training offers no significant hypertrophy advantage over non-failure training.

If you are lifting heavy weights (high intensity), you do not need to train to failure to maximize muscle growth; stopping a few reps short is likely equivalent if total volume is matched. However, if you are lifting lighter weights (low intensity), training to failure is likely necessary to stimulate growth comparable to heavy lifting. Adjust your proximity to failure based on your load.

Both Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat diets can cause negative side effects, including gastrointestinal issues, fatigue, and in the case of LCD, potential risks like ketosis and kidney failure.

Be prepared for side effects when starting either diet. LCD may cause ketosis, fatigue, or kidney stress, while LFD may cause constipation and fatigue. Monitor your health and consult a physician, especially if you have pre-existing conditions.

For upper limb exercises, High-Load Resistance Training (HL-RT) produces significantly greater muscle hypertrophy than Low-Load Resistance Training with Blood Flow Restriction (LL-RT with BFR).

When training upper body muscles (arms, shoulders), heavy lifting (HL-RT) may be slightly more effective for muscle growth than BFR training. However, BFR is still a viable option, especially if heavy lifting is not possible.

Training to failure in single-set resistance training may modestly enhance some measures of muscle hypertrophy and power (countermovement jump) compared to training with 2 RIR, but does not improve strength or endurance.

If your primary goal is maximum muscle size and you can tolerate the discomfort, training to failure might offer a slight edge over stopping with 2 reps in reserve. However, this comes at the cost of higher discomfort and potential adherence issues. For strength, the benefit is non-existent. Choose based on your ability to recover and stick with the program.

Training the medial gastrocnemius with initial partial repetitions (lengthened position) produces greater hypertrophy than training with past-failure partials (full ROM followed by lengthened partials), although the evidence is currently anecdotal.

If you want to maximize calf growth, prioritize initial partials (stretching the calf at the bottom of the movement) over past-failure partials. Perform full-range calf raises to failure, then immediately drop the heel to stretch the calf and perform partial reps. However, ensure you are eating enough protein (1.6g/kg) and training consistently twice a week. The difference between strategies is small, so consistency with full-range or initial partials is more important than perfect technique.

Membership in commercial Nutrition Clubs providing fortified meal replacements and nutrition education is associated with significantly lower fasting insulin, lower HbA1c, higher vitamin D and vitamin E status, and a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome compared to community-matched controls.

Joining a structured nutrition program that uses meal replacements and provides education can significantly improve metabolic health markers like insulin sensitivity and vitamin levels, even if weight loss isn't the primary visible outcome. The key is consistency (weekly attendance) and the nutritional quality of the replacements.

Semaglutide improves patient-reported pain and function in chronic plantar heel pain, with approximately half of the benefit mediated by weight loss.

If you have chronic heel pain and are overweight or have Type 2 Diabetes, ask your doctor if GLP-1 medications like semaglutide might help. The study suggests these drugs can reduce pain and improve foot function, largely by helping you lose weight, which reduces stress on your feet. This is not a standard treatment yet, so discuss the risks and benefits with your provider.

Using GLP-1 RAs post-bariatric surgery can enhance weight loss outcomes and prevent weight regain, whereas using them pre-surgery (neoadjuvant) does not improve surgical outcomes and may slightly reduce weight loss.

If you have had bariatric surgery and are experiencing weight regain, adding a GLP-1 RA can help you lose additional weight. However, taking GLP-1 RAs *before* surgery does not improve surgical results and might slightly reduce the amount of weight lost from the surgery itself.

Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) provides significantly greater reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality compared to GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) therapy in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes.

If you have obesity and type 2 diabetes, metabolic surgery (like gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy) is currently shown to be more effective than GLP-1 medications (like semaglutide or liraglutide) at preventing heart attacks, strokes, and death. While GLP-1 drugs are important for those who cannot have surgery, surgery offers greater long-term cardiovascular protection and more sustained weight loss, though it carries surgical risks and requires lifelong nutritional monitoring.

Microbiome-targeted interventions like prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics show potential antihypertensive effects, but results are heterogeneous and require larger randomized trials.

While probiotics and prebiotics show promise, they are not yet a proven standalone treatment for hypertension. Focus on a healthy diet and lifestyle first, and consider these supplements as potential adjuncts under medical guidance.

Combining different weight-lowering drugs with complementary mechanisms (e.g., GLP-1 RA with activin receptor antagonist) can enhance weight loss and preserve lean body mass, potentially offering superior cardiovascular protection compared to monotherapy.

For some patients, taking a single weight-loss drug might lead to muscle loss, which isn't ideal for heart health. New combination therapies, such as pairing a GLP-1 drug with a muscle-preserving agent, are being developed to prevent this. These combinations can lead to greater fat loss and better preservation of muscle mass, which is crucial for metabolic health. While these are still emerging, they represent a promising approach for those who struggle with muscle loss on standard treatments.

CrossFit practitioners who use supplements primarily target performance enhancement and muscle hypertrophy, with whey protein and creatine being the most frequently used substances, despite a lack of scientific consensus supporting their specific necessity for all practitioners.

Most CrossFit users take whey protein or creatine to build muscle or perform better. While these are common and generally safe, they are not strictly necessary for everyone. Focus on your training and whole-food nutrition first; use supplements only if they fill a specific gap or support a specific goal you have discussed with a professional.

In people living with HIV (PLWH), systemic inflammation, metabolic disorders, and mitochondrial dysfunction caused by antiretroviral therapy (ART) increase the susceptibility to sarcopenia.

For PLWH, maintaining muscle mass requires addressing the underlying inflammatory and metabolic environment created by HIV and ART, not just eating protein. Regular exercise and managing metabolic health are key.

Bodybuilders who consume dietary supplements report side effects such as skin rashes, increased liver enzymes, and hair loss.

Be vigilant about potential side effects from dietary supplements. If you experience skin rashes, increased liver enzymes, or hair loss, consider stopping the supplement and consulting a healthcare provider. Regular health check-ups can help detect these issues early.

MMA fighters exhibit body composition (skeletal muscle mass, body fat percentage, visceral fat mass, and phase angle) statistically indistinguishable from elite powerlifting athletes, despite fundamentally different training methodologies.

If you are an MMA fighter, you do not need to sacrifice muscle mass to maintain your conditioning. Your body composition (muscle and fat levels) can be just as favorable as a powerlifter's, provided you train with sufficient intensity and volume. Focus on maintaining high tissue quality (phase angle) through balanced aerobic and anaerobic training rather than cutting muscle for weight classes.

Younger age (<65 years) and shorter duration of severe neutropenia are the strongest independent predictors of lean mass gain during adapted physical activity in hematology inpatients.

Younger hematology patients (<65) and those with shorter periods of severe neutropenia are likely to see the greatest lean mass benefits from adapted physical activity. Older patients or those with prolonged neutropenia may see minimal gain, but activity remains safe and improves physical function.

Higher dietary diversity, specifically protein-enriched and anti-inflammatory dietary diversity, is associated with a lower prevalence of low muscle mass (LMM) in older Chinese adults.

For older adults, simply increasing the variety of foods consumed—specifically ensuring regular intake of protein-rich sources (meat, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, nuts) and anti-inflammatory foods (vegetables, fruits, tea)—is associated with a significantly lower risk of low muscle mass. Aim for a diverse plate rather than focusing on a single supplement or food group.

Dietary interventions that are moderate in fat, largely plant-based, and include intermittent fasting can facilitate the biliary excretion of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), thereby reducing their toxicity and improving cardiovascular outcomes in T2DM patients.

To help your body get rid of stored environmental toxins while managing diabetes, try a diet that is moderate in fat and mostly plants, combined with intermittent fasting. This approach helps your liver excrete toxins and provides protective plant compounds, potentially offering better heart health benefits than standard low-fat diets.

A fully health-insurance-financed, long-term (4-year) conservative multimodal obesity therapy program achieves clinically significant weight loss (average 5 kg or 4% of body weight) and metabolic improvements in patients with obesity grades 2 and 3 under real-world conditions.

If you have obesity grade 2 or 3, a comprehensive, long-term conservative therapy program, fully covered by health insurance in Germany, can help you lose an average of 5 kg (4% of body weight) and improve your metabolic health. This program includes dietary, exercise, and behavioral therapy sessions over several years. It is designed to be flexible and affordable, addressing common barriers like cost and adherence.

A personalized, integrative, long-term (5-year) coaching program based on a systems health perspective significantly improves health-related quality of life, physical outcomes (weight, waist circumference, aerobic capacity), and psychosocial well-being (fatigue, self-esteem) in adults with obesity compared to baseline.

If you have obesity and have struggled with standard diet/exercise programs, consider a long-term, personalized coaching approach that addresses not just weight but also mental health, social support, and physical activity. Expect a significant time commitment initially, but the goal is to build sustainable habits. Progress may be slow, but improvements in quality of life and physical function are possible.

A carbohydrate-reduced telemedicine nutrition intervention significantly reduces the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and new-onset cardiovascular disease in adults with type 2 diabetes or obesity compared to matched controls.

If you have type 2 diabetes or obesity, a telemedicine program that helps you restrict carbohydrates to under 30 grams per day and maintain nutritional ketosis can significantly lower your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events compared to standard care. This approach works by improving overall metabolic health, which appears to protect the heart even if cholesterol levels change.